News

IAAF.org: Tergat on Target for Athens – Exclusive interview

Tergat has it all except the Olympics gold

2004-08-06

Nairobi, Kenya - For Paul Kibii Tergat, the worlds fastest marathon runner,
Athens will definitively form the climax or anti-climax of his illustrious
international athletics career which has spanned more than a decade, as 2004
will be his last Olympics.

"I have every type of trophy in my cabinet, except an Olympic
gold medal. This should indicate to you how important I am taking the
Games in Athens," said Tergat, 34, a sergeant in the Kenya Air
Force.

“I want to solidify my two silver medals into something more tangible
for the nation, myself and my fans too.”

Tergat won the 10,000m Olympic silver medal in Atlanta (1996) and
Sydney four years later. He also took a World Championships bronze (1995) and
two silvers (1997/1999) for the same distance. He won individual World cross
country titles for five successive years (1995-1999). He dominated the
half-marathon scene like nobody else, both city races like Stramilano and World
Championships (1999 & 2000). Tergat also held the World 10,000m track
record (1997), and currently holds the World records for the Half and full
marathon.

When Tergat missed the London City Marathon last April, due to calf muscle
injury, athletics pundits were quick to speculate that he feigned the injury to
concentrate on the Olympics. Like the gentleman that he is, he did not attempt
to allay those speculations. He just went for medical treatment in Brescia,
Italy, under the watchful eyes of his coach Dr Gabriele Rosa and returned home
to concentrate on his Olympics training.